Sounds of feet tramped around outside, the skies faded from their bright blues to orange-ish hues, inviting only the brightest of stars into dusk.
A hand reached out the tent flap and a head poked out to catch a glimpse. The Undying Princess, not only alive, but back to her full strength, "Ugh..." well, maybe a little sore.
Division Four—collapsed tent being reset, tanks driven to the side for repairs and uniforms all back in order. Daiyu took a stroll out, leaving Arabella alone to sleep in the tent.
Soldiers moved and shifted things around; seed to be a lot of body bags. Rations were moved in crates while so handed water bottles to soldiers sitting outside a long brown tent.
So were on the floor with waning eyes and so hugged their knees, all staring into the void. Daiyu kept an eye on everything around her, as lights began to illuminate the dusk.
A couple of soldiers recognized the princess and waved. Daiyu gave a weary one-sided smile and lifted an arm to give a half-hearted salute. They passed by whilst she headed for the long tent.
She took a deep breath and stretched, hands behind her nape to crack her neck. Heading into the tent, there were dozens upon dozens of soldiers lying on mats, so with towels atop their foreheads.
While there was congestion in the tent, she spotted the back of a head with two pointy ears. He had a towel he gently patted onto a sleeping soldier’s head. "Yen," she smirked.
Feyan turned to the voice and blinked a few tis, "Sorry my lady, are you referring to ?" His face was bruised from forehead to chin—his eyes, his nose. What injuries he had under his garnts was only known to him.
Daiyu’s lips tightened and she folded her arms, "Who else would I call that?"
Feyan shrugged to one side, "You have not called that is all," he turned back to the soldier he was tending to. "You look well my lady, I hope you have rested."
"Just tryin’ sothing new," Daiyu sighed. Whispers were going all throughout the tent—sombre, tired and worried. "You look fucking terrible," Daiyu used her quite voice like everyone else here.
Feyan continued his work, "I am aware... Ms Jotou suggested I siphoned a few of the prisoners enough to make function. That and a few rejuvenate spells from Ms Hotaru."
"You need a break, don’t overdo it."
"My lady... You are the princess of this country and you are a fighter. You are ant to be in the front; I, am not."
He spoke slow and llow, "I may know so basic skills, but I do not enjoy fighting nor injuring others like you do. I am and always will be, a healer.
Break my bones, pull my teeth, make bleed; there is no irreversible damage anyone can do to . As long as I do not die, I rely need a restful sleep and I will be healed completely.
This, is my gift of having an affinity. Sothing all these soldiers do not have the luxury of. What the Psyching Dread did, is beyond physical damage.
This is beyond so wound from a bullet or a slash from a knife. What she did, is irreversible. I can only aid so much and I have only a slim window of ti.
I know for a fact that I am not going to be able to help everyone here and neither will Ms Hotaru. I may be potent, but I am still one person.
Many of these soldiers, if they return ho, will never be the sa." Feyan finished up his work, placing a towel on the soldier’s forehead. He faced Daiyu, "This, is what I can do. If it ans I take on a few bruises and cuts then so be it.
In the end I will be fine. I will always give it my all. So, please refrain from telling not to push myself or overdo it, my lady," a smoke of shadow quickly flashed in his eyes.
Daiyu took a deep breath, "Alright. What did Dread make you see back there?"
Feyan’s eyes darted to the ground and pouted, "It was less of what I saw and more of what I realized. I will tell you later, but for now," Feyan sighed towards all the soldiers.
Another entered the tent, a woman with dark brown hair and tan skin, in her full uniform. "Undying Princess," she uttered.
Daiyu twisted to the woman, "Division General, Kapa-... uh-"
"Kapadia," the Division General replied.
"All fixed up?"
"Indeed. The Thundering Blade requested for you to be present. We have the info to provide clarifications and prisoners to interrogate," her eyes were sternly open, her words firm and quick.
"Feyan?"
"I shall be fine here."
A bald soldier with his shirt off was being restrained by two others, while another dic tried her best to hydrate the restrained man. The bald soldier kept shifting his head away, keeping his lips tight shut.
Feyan glanced over, "Hydrophobia. A drop of water had him hyperventilating and now he refuses to drink."
"Isn’t that like rabies?" Daiyu queried.
"Perhaps, but I believe Dread amplified or even seeded in so sort of fear," Feyan got up and was ready to go help. "Good luck, tell what happens later."
"Of course."
_
"When we called Division Six around O four hundred hours, it was indeed . Everything I reported at the ti remains true, Company Two is still MIA."
Division General Kapadia began relaying to Jotou, Fuko, Asobi and Daiyu. They stood around a table with a large radio atop, yellow lantern hanging above.
"For now, I’ve reported to all companies not currently engaged in combat to return imdiately. All other companies are aware of the situation; the Psyching Dread’s death is also now made aware to all our forces."
"What exactly happened after you radioed us and before we ca?" Fuko asked.
"The Psyching Dread made it into our base unseen, smuggling with her a few platoons of Trailonian soldiers who were apparently already in uniform.
Presumably, they arrived before I inford Division Six of the situation which is why many of our troops were in delirium and chaos ensued. This allowed Dread to play us like pawns.
Before we knew it, much of our forces here were separated and we were surrounded, held at gunpoint. If that was not enough, Dread also preyed on all of our fears.
Eventually, the Trailonian forces had us subdued, captured and held in tents. Anyone who could fight it and escape were shot. We are currently low on troops in this area. Our supplies have also seen a decrease.
Dread... What an aptly nad woman... Under the influence of magic, many of my division, including myself, were coerced to relay sensitive intel.
We cannot recall exactly what intel was conveyed, but we assu the worst. After which, the Psyching Dread took on my visage and attempted to mimic my voice; she was not exact, but close enough not to make a difference over the radio static.
She told all the companies that Division Four was fine and to continue pushing outward. This was to reduce the chances of any company returning here quickly in case of an ergency."
"Hm, that all adds up then. Any info you have from the prisoners?" Jotou pondered.
"We haven’t started interrogations. We are currently in the process of recuperating. Many of my forces are not in the right state of mind and many are lost. We can start now, if you would prefer."
Jotou side-eyed Daiyu. Daiyu tapped her feet just out of habit, "Let’s see them then."
The four were escorted out and into a guarded tent not too far. The sound of tal clinked and the sound of clothes shifting against the ground; they entered the dimly lit tent.
A long beam was held up against the side and along it, a row of handcuffs holding the wrists of Trailonian soldiers up while they lied or sat on the floor. In various states of despair, so turned—so did not care.
"I don’t wanna waste ti," Daiyu muttered and strode forward. The prisoners glanced up to the Undying Princess of Cravolta walking by, unable to discern her expression.
Daiyu did not smile, she did not frown. Her face simply rested, her eyes darting around till she spotted a man sat with his knees to his chest, avoiding eye contact, "This one," she pointed and paused.
"This is the... that part, right?" Asobi hushed to the other two.
"You can stand outside if you’d like. I can’t promise it won’t get ugly," the blonde replied.
"No. I’ll be right here with you all," Asobi pouted to the side.
Fuko disappeared into shadow and blinked next to Daiyu. "Alright buddy, you better start talking," the purple dagger left its sheath.
The man looked up and furrowed his brows—tanned skin with bits of facial hair. He looked to be young, maybe even in his late teens.
Daiyu added in a glare whilst Jotou, Asobi and the general made their way to him. The soldier scoffed, "Why the hell would I talk to you? Fuck off," his head lolled back down.
"Better watch your tone there," Daiyu did not crouch down, wanting to tap her feet. She eyed Jotou. Jotou approached and gave a slight nod before she crouched down.
"Or what? You’re gonna kill ? Do it," the man replied.
"Kill you? I don’t think you know how interrogation works," Jotou put her hand out to Fuko and curled her fingers. Fuko tightened her lips and rolled her eyes, giving Jotou the dagger.
"You see, your elite soldier is dead. Your whole ambush plan, is dead. You; you’re not dead. But you’re gonna wish you were~" the blonde’s lips curled.
’...I hate this part. Why do I go here, every ti. It feels like a part of likes it and that itself I don’t like... Feels so, freeing...’ Jotou placed the dagger right against the soldier’s knee, "Listen very carefully. I think you know what my friends can do.
That half-elf you saw, can heal things pretty easily. I also got another person who can do that. The Psyching Dread plays on your fears cause she already knows them.
I don’t though," Jotou chuckled. "But a bit of screaming, a bit of begging and I’m sure I can figure it out~ How much pain can you tolerate?
Healing, cut an arm, healing, cut a leg, healing, cut just the sides of your nostrils and let you breathe a little~ I’m curious, when that mind’s gonna break. And if it’s not you, then hey!"
Jotou exclaid throughout the tent, "Everybody gets a piece of the party~! One by one, dagger and blade, twisting your livers and making your guts have a bad day."
The soldier began breathing heavier, that dagger getting a little uncomfortable right in the middle of his knee. He stared to the woman...
Jotou poked the knife into his knee and it shredded through the clothing. "AH!" the soldier winced and kicked his legs forward, Jotou hit them aside with an arm and dodged to the right a little.
Every prisoner turned, scowling or cursing under their breath. "Oops~ Now, you can spare the fate of all the people around you or be the reason they get so too."
The soldier flailed his legs, a cut across the knee now bleeding out. Jotou lifted the dagger and attempted to spark it... The dagger instead sparked by the hilt, but the blade constantly ate through the spark spell across it.
She cancelled the spell. ’Welp, there goes my electricity torture spiel.’ Jotou sighed and brought the dagger closer to the soldier’s widened eye, "Let’s start here, shall we?" she held the dagger upside down, the sharp point facing down, about to poke his eye.
The soldier gritted his teeth, the blonde woman getting closer and closer with an unnerving grin. "YOU HAVEN’T EVEN ASKED WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW!!!" he scread, shutting his eyes.
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